Method and machine for soldering tubing



W. S. PRITCHAHD.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR SOLDERING TUBING. APPLICATION FILED MAR, 24. 1919. RENEWED IIAII. 31, I922.

1 .4%4. 18 l Patented Aug. L 1922.

3 SHEETS--SHEET l.

mve/ntoz WL S. PRITCHARD. METHOD AND MACHINE FOR S'OLD'ERING TUBING. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1919. RENEWEDMAR.31,1922.

11 14.1249 l l Patented Aug. 11, 1922.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

W. S. PHITCHARD.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR SULDERING TUBING. APPLICATION HLED 1111111.24. 1919. RENEwED MAR. 31,1922.

IAM. II I.. y Mmmm Aug. 11, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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inserat. i y

specification of'tetters Patent.

METHQD ANSO MACHINE FOR SULDERING TUBING.

Patented Aug, 1l, 11922;.,

.application filed March M, 1919, Serial No. 284,74t. Renewed March 31, 1922-. Serial Tr'fo. M8524.

- T all whom t 'may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. PRITGHARD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, hav/.e invented certain new and use/tul'niprovements in Methods and Machines for Soldering Tubing, of which the following is a specification, referenc/e being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

lllhe invention relates to the manufacture of scanned tubing from sheet metal strips and has more particulary reference to the means employed 'for soldering the seam.

ln the present state ofthe art itis usual to solder the seams by dipping short length sections of the' tubing in a soldering .bath.

This has the disadvantage of coating the inner surface ot the tube as well as the outer surface with solder, and which is both wastepoint in its a vancement beneath the surface ct al soldering bath. lnz the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal'section through the tube sea-m soldering apparatus;

Figures 3 and 1 arediagrammatlc'views, respectively a vertical longitudinal section and a plan view of 'the` entire tube-forming apparatus in which my improvements are incorporated; y A

Figures 5 and@ are respectively a crosssection and 4.a vertical longitudinal section showing a modied construction;l

The speciticmethod and apparatus for forming the seamed tubing are not essential to the present invention, but as shown, 1, 2, 3 and a are; forming rolls for successively tashioning and advancing ametal'lic strip; 5 is a closing die ufor completing the tube; 7 and 8 are rolls for assisting in maintaining the tube seam closed, the construction being@V such that a .corn letely closed loclr seamed rial No, 282,595," el

tube lis delivere. from the, rolls 8. 'llhis mechanism `for forming tubing with a closed side seam may be any suitable apparatuses described and shown, for example, in Patent 950163 issued Februa y 22, 1910 to d'. lid. Webster, and in co en ig application, Se-

d arch lt, 1919 by ing apparatus and beyond the latter is an automatic severing mechanism for cutting the tubing into short sections of predetermined length.

The soldering of the seam is eected by irst luxing and then passing through a bath of molten solder. 'lfhe tube cannot, however, be passed in al straight line through the bath, inasmuch as it is necessary to immerse the same beneath the surface ot the molten metal. Also provision must be made for properly guiding. the forward end of the tube whenever a newstrip of metal is passed through the apparatus, and this end must be closed so as to prevent the entrance ci molten solder into the interior ofthe tube. l have, therefore, devised an apparatus in which the tubing after being delivered by the rolls 8, has its advancing end closed; is then guided through the tluxing device; ythen passes through a tubular guide, which is bent beneath the surface of the molten metal,

and is finally washed, cooled and straightened before delivered to the severing apparatus.

ln detail 11 and 12 are co-operating'rotary .dies which may m thrown into operation tit) whenever an advanced end of tubing is to be 1 J closed. The speciic construction yot this device is not a part ofthe present invention, but in general the function performed is to press one side of the tubing into contact and y conformity to the contour-'ot the oppositeside so as to close lthe end without enlarging the diameter, which is accomplished by means of the projecting portion 11" upon the periphery of the rotary die 11. This closing mechanism is shown in my copending apl plication, Serial No. 282,593, tiled March 1li, 1919. 13 4is a fluxing'pad beneath the tubing, and 14 is a covering pad, which is preterably hinged so that it may be lifted when the advanced end of the tubing is assed therebeneath. 15 isthe daring mout of a guide for receiving the end ot the tubing beyond the during device, and 1 5 is a tubullt@ lar extension ot the guide whichA passes over j a the end cfa solder receptacle 17 and is then deflected downward beneath the sur-face ot th `n iolten metal, as. indicated at 18. This Mit downwardly deected portion is perforated,

as at 19, to receive the molten metal and te permit it to completely envelope the tubing within the guide. The rear end of the guide isagain bent upward and terminates ina stripping die 20 which scrapes off the sur-` plus adhering solder. 21 is an annular water spraying devioesurrounding the tubing. l

22 is a tubular Water holding receptacle adjacent to the annular member 21 'which isfilled with water for washing and cooling ing device from which the advancing tubing is delivered into a series of straightening rolls 24;. These are so arranged that after the tubing is passed therethrough it will be `substantially straight and in condition for severing into short len ths by suitable sever-v ing apparatus 25 as, for example, thatdef scribed and shown in Patent 1,367,564, issued February 8, 1921 `to W. S. Pritchard.' In operation whenever a new` strip is passed' through the formed into the seamed tubing and delivered from the rolls 8, dies 11 and 12 are manipu-l lated to close the end, and the tubing still advancing paes first throu h the fluxing apparatus, then througliyithe liiring guide 15 and is then compelled te follow around the depressed tubular guide V18 through the molten solder, which'provides access to the surface lof the tubing' through the perforations 19 in the guide. On paing out from the bath, the tubing still advancing is washed and cooled by the: devices 21 and 22, is straightened by ,the rolls 24:, which have al 35, slightly greater surface speed than the forming rolls, and finally is severed by 25 into short sections' -of predetermined length. When once in full operation, the advancement is continuous for the entire length of the strip, and, if desired, successive strips may be attached to each other' so as to prevent .any interruption.` Thus the soldering is e'ected' thoroughly and expeditiously and the saving effected. by excluding the' solder frolm the innersurface of the tubel is matema, '4.'

When the apparatus is in use the heat which is transmitted to the guide tube 18 from the molten metal will sometimes cause a bending or skewing of this tube, which interferes withv the passage of the tubing. To guardagainst this result I have provided means operable from outside the apparatus for adjusting the position of the guide tube '18 1n the moltenbath c f solder. This, as shown in .Figures 5 and 6, comprises an arm 26 extending downward into the bath and at its lower end embracing the. guide ltube 18 near.; the centra-lfportion thereof. This'arm 26 is mounted .upon a-threaded rod 27 which vis;Journaled in Abearings 28 at the sides of the tank. or 'receptacle 17, 'the Shank ofsaid rod passing through the heat insulatin4 wall 29 and being rovided at its outer en with el an adjusting andle 30. i By means of this ,proper position.

the tub-ing. 23 is 'a conical end of the wash@ machine after beingl mechanism whenever the guide tube becomes misplaced it canbe adjusted by turning the handle 30 and thereby brought back to the Nhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of forming soldered seamed tubing, comprising the. advancement of a metallic strip, forming and closing said st rip intoa tube during such advancement, closing the forward end of the tubing, depressing the advancingtubing beneath the surface of a solder bath, straightening the soldered tubing, and severing into predetermined lengths.

2. In a metallic tube-forming machine, a series of forming rolls and die fofil continuously advancing a metallic stri-p and forming thesame into a closed tube, a soldering bath, means'fcr deflecting and iding the 'formed tubing through said sol ering bath, anda series of rolls for straightening the soldered tubing, said rolls being driven at slightly greater surface speed than said forming rolls and co-operating therewith to advance the stri with cumulative force.

3. In a metallic tube-forming machine, the combination with means for advancing a nietallic strip and forming the same into closed tubing, of a soldering bath, and means for deflecting the advancing tubing to depress the same into said soldering bath, cooling means for the soldered tubing and straight- Y ening means therefor.

4f. In a metallic tube-forming machine, the combination with means for forming and delivering closed metallic tubing, of a soldering bath in advance thereof, a tubular guide for delecting the advancing tubing beneath the solder and yout therefrom, sol er stripl ping means, tube-cooling means and straightening rolls.

5. In a metallic tube-forming machine, the combination of meansA for forming and deli-vering closed tubing, a soldering bath, means for defleeti the advancing tubing, into said soldering ath and out therefrom,` 11o cooling means, straightening rolls and means operating without interference to the continuous advancement of the tubing for sev- ,Y

ering the same. p

6. In a metallic tube-forming'machine, the 115 combination with meansl for -rdelivering metallic tubing, of a solder bath, va tubular guide for receiving the end of said tubing,

-metallic tubing, of a solder bath, a tubular guide for receiving the end of saidptubing, the forward and rear ends of said guide being above the level of the solder and the intermediate portion being depressed belltl :instaat neath the level of .the solder and perforated to receive the same, and means engaging said tubular guide for adjusting the same laterally. s

8. ln a metallic tubeforming machine, the combination with means for delivering` metallic tubing, of a solder bath, a tubular guide for receiving the end ot ysaid tubing passing. over the ends ont said solder bath, and the central portion of said guide being depressed beneath the level of the Y solder and being perforated to admit the solder thereinto,v a heat insulating casing for enclosing said bath, and means operable from Outside said heat insulating casing or adjusting said guide tube in said bath.

9. The metliodf of forming seamed tubing, comprising the advancement of a metallic strip, forming 'and closing said strip into a tube during such advancement, and the deflection of the advancing tubing atene point in its advancement 'beneath the surface of'molten solder.

10. In a tube-forming machine, the c0m bination with means for forming andV delivering closed tubing, of a soldering bath in advance thereof, means for detlecting the advancing tubing into said soldering bath beneath the surface of the solder and out therefrom, and means operating without interterence to the continuous advancement of the tubing for severing the same into pren determined lengths.

11. The method of forming soldered lockseam tubing comprising the continuous vad-V vancement of a Hat metallic strip of indeter-` minate length, forming and closing saild strip into a loclr-seam4 tube during such advancements and dedecting the lock-seam tube soldered i tobring the lock-seam into intimate contact with molten solder.

12. T he .method of forming soldered loclrseam tubing comprising the continuous ad vaneement of a flat metallic strip, forming and closing `said strip into a lock-seam tube severing the soldered lock-seam tube.

`.13. ln a metallic tube forming machine,

the combination with means for continuously advancing and forming a flat metallic strip into a lock-seam tube, of a solder bath, means for deieoting the lock-seam tube to bring the lock-seam into intimate contact with said solder bath, means for deiecting the soldered lock-seam tube away from said solder bath, andmeans for severing the lockseam tube into predetermined lengths.

14:. ln a lmetallic tube forming machine, the combination with means for continuously a'dvancingand forming a dat metallic strip into a lock-seam tube, ot a solder bath in advance thereof, means for deecting the lock-seam tube into said solder toward 'said solder bath to bring the lock-seam into intimate contactwith the solder bath, means for deflecting the ysoldered vlock-seam tube away from said solder bath, means for straightening' the soldered lock-seam tube,

and means for subsequently severing the soldered lock-seam tube y into predetermined len hs.

n testimony whereof laiix my signature.

'Wismar/r s. rarrcnaan. 

